Content creator Adam Glyn caught up with Hall of Famer Charles Barkley for an interview after the San Antonio Spurs‘ 115-111 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Glyn asked Barkley about the contest, U.S. President Donald Trump’s appearance at the game, and more.
Adam Glyn: “Obviously, Knicks fans, we thought we were gonna clear house today, but obviously we didn’t. What were your thoughts on it? I mean, did you-“
Charles Barkley: “San Antonio played a really good game. The Knicks did not play very well, and the Spurs deserved to win the game.”
Glyn: “Do you think the fans, was it too much hype for them? Were you in a crowd like that?”
Barkley: “No, the fans were great. It was one of the coolest environments I’ve ever been in. I had a really wonderful time, but the environment was great. It’s going to be even great the next game.”
Glyn: “Do you think having a current president there, an active president, makes it a little bit harder to play in front of?”
Barkley: “No, s*** no. That had nothing to do with it. I thought the Spurs outplayed them. The Knicks got to find a way to get off to a better start. But it was one of the coolest environments I’ve ever been a part of, I had a blast.”
Glyn: “But what makes it so cool, though? You’ve been to a lot of Finals.”
Barkley: “The energy, the fanbase, all the stars being there. I mean, it was an incredible atmosphere.”
Glyn: “I know in Kalshi they still have the Knicks predicting to be the winners. Who do you predict will be the [winner]?”
Barkley: “I picked the Knicks in six. Listen, that was a must-win for the Spurs, not a must-win for the Knicks. But the Knicks need to win the next game. But I picked the Knicks in six.”
Glyn: “What do you think about the Knicks fans going crazy on the streets? Is it too much? Are they celebrating too early?”
Barkley: “No, man. They’re excited. They haven’t won a championship since 1972. Like I say, the Knicks fans have been great, man. The Spurs got great fans also. But it’s a great series now.”
Glyn: “First time seeing Cardi B perform. What were your thoughts on that? Obviously, we saw the comment, it’s going viral. About Cardi B? I thought it was Cardi D. Everyone’s talking about that.”
Barkley: “It was fun, man. That was just, I like to have fun, man. I had a great time with that.”
Glyn: “I remember last time talking about politics. I loved your CNN show. You and Gayle [King] did… For the Republicans, who do you think, if you had to predict, who is going to be the leader in the next presidential election? Is there one that you’re liking right now as far as-“
Barkley: “I like Governor [Josh] Shapiro of Pennsylvania. I like Governor Wes Moore. Those are two guys I’m really looking closely… I want to support one of those guys, but I love Josh Shapiro, and I love Wes Moore. And I hope [James] Talarico can win down in Texas. But those are the only three people I’m looking at.”
Glyn: “And what’s the thing that, when it comes to politics, what do you look for the most in a politician?”
Barkley: “The person.”
Glyn: “Just the person?”
Barkley: “I think both parties are awful. And when you hear the term conservative or liberal, you know they’re full of s*** in that part of it. When I hear that, I know that person is not a good person. If you ever use the term conservative or liberal, you don’t want people to know about your stance. You just want them to vote for the party idiot.”
View this post on Instagram
There was a whole lot there. As for what stands out, from a non-political standpoint, you’d imagine Barkley was unaware of the violence Knicks fans inflicted on their Spurs counterparts. That was despicable behavior.
Barkley is also backing the Knicks to win this series despite the Spurs cutting their lead to 2-1 with that win. While Trump has gotten some blame for the defeat, the 63-year-old thinks his appearance had nothing to do with it.
Game 3 also featured a halftime performance by rapper Cardi B, and Barkley had suggested that a name change was in order on Inside the NBA.
“I don’t know if those (are) B’s,” Barkley said. “That might be Cardi D’s… I’m pretty sure those aren’t B’s… She’s got the wrong initials.”
“I don’t know if those B’s. Those might be Cardi D’s”
We have lost Charles Barkley tonight folks https://t.co/ZzStZF5VRL
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 9, 2026
This unsurprisingly went viral, and Barkley said here he was just having fun. You do wonder how the higher-ups at ESPN felt about this. They might not have been too happy, but this is what you get when you acquire the license to Inside the NBA.
